Antenna radiation is an important factor in defining a radius of cell coverage for a cell site. The radius, or coverage footprint, is often modeled using a planning tool at set-up to optimize various parameters of the antenna (e.g., down tilt, azimuth, etc.) to provide desired coverage for the cell site.
Many larger antenna platforms have stabilizing structures or features that help to limit changes in antenna position during operation, to prevent loss of coverage. However, certain cell site deployments are often installed and utilized with fewer stabilizing structures or features (e.g., small cells in between macro cells), and as a result, may suffer from decreased performance due to environmental factors such as wind, temperature, atmospheric conditions, and/or terrain variation affecting the position and orientation of the antenna, which may affect the coverage area of the cell site.
Shifting or degraded coverage area can cause dropped or blocked calls, handoff issues, improper coverage, fluctuating radio frequency waves, or other undesirable network irregularities, unless the antenna is physically repositioned or readjusted. Accordingly, a new, reliable, and dynamic process for adjusting antenna radiation during operation is needed. The present invention addresses these issues, among others.